Frankfurt Travel Tips. An article sharing travel tips about visiting Frankfurt. How to get there and more…

Mark Ford, Founder of Plus1 Travel

Welcome! It’s great to have you here looking for Frankfurt travel tips. In this article we’re going to cover how to best get here, how to get around and how to make the most out of your experience. Hang on!

There are some cities which refuse to lay down. They possess a certain spirit which can push through the rubble of history’s most turbulent times, to grow, flourish and flower. The German city of Frankfurt is one such city. For centuries, Frankfurt has been one of Europe’s most important and enduring trading capitals. Despite a history of fires, plague, occupation and war, it continues to rise. 

Frankfurt today is home to the European Central Bank, The German Stock Exchange and an airport which handles almost 60 million travelers a year. Yet surprisingly, it’s relaxed too, a place where tradition and beauty are lovingly cultivated and enjoyed. This balance of dynamism and tradition is best exemplified in the city’s architecture. Frankfurt is often called Mainhatten, due to its position on the Main River and a skyline that often feels more American than European. 

Frankfurt Travel Tips – How To Get From The Airport To Frankfurt

When looking for Frankfurt travel tips and how to best get from the airport to the city. There’s a couple of options, some better than others. Let’s look into that right now. 

Frankfurt Airport lies 11km from the city center and is one of Europe’s busiest airports, being the international gateway in Germany. Frankfurt airport serves more than 110 countries worldwide, with direct flights from many U.S. and Canadian cities. The airport has a full array of stores, restaurants, banks, a bus terminal, several car-rental offices, and two railway stations.

Frankfurt Airport

By train

The simplest way of getting into Frankfurt from the airport is by the S-Bahn (light rail). S8 and S9 trains (in the direction of Offenbach or Hanau) will have you arrive directly and comfortably to Frankfurt’s Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) in about 10-15 minutes. A one-way ticket costs 4.50€ and is available from the RMV ticket machines.

By bus

Buses into the city stop in front of Terminal 1 on the arrivals level and in front of Terminal 2 on Level 2. Some airlines offer special shuttle-bus services to Frankfurt from the airport; check when you purchase your ticket. The bus ride takes around 30 minutes and costs €4.35.

Taxis

Taxis are available in front of the terminals. A taxi ride from the airport to the city center costs around 25€ and takes about 20 minutes.

Frankfurt Travel Tips – How To Get Around Frankfurt

When searching for Frankfurt travel tips, the public transportation in Frankfurt allows you to easily travel all over the city. The system consists of the U-Bahn (subways), S-Bahn (commuter trains), trams, and buses. The system is well-organized, safe, and fairly punctual, but it takes some practice to get comfortable. Here’s our simple guide to Frankfurt’s public transport.

Frankfurt Public Transport

U-Bahn

The U-Bahn (underground) operates partly below ground and often works in connection with the tram system. Trains run every 2 to 5 minutes within the city center. Frequency slows to 10 to 20 minutes after 8pm, then night buses take over from 1 to 4 a.m.

S-Bahn

The city’s S-Bahn or Stadtbahn (city train) is the local rail which runs primarily above ground from the city center to the surrounding suburbs and cities. The area around Frankfurt is densely populated and the S-Bahn offers easy access to the outskirts of the city, as well as the surrounding cities like Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Hanau. S-Bahn stations can be identified by the green and white “S” symbol. Enter the platform and once you have a ticket, stamp it and board the S-Bahn.

Buses

Buses fill in the gaps and complement Frankfurt’s public transport system. All major routes are served by rail-based modes of transportation, but stops are closer together and buses can be a good way to orient yourself with the city. Where buses are most useful is in the north between S-Bahn stations and at night. Marked by a circular sign with a green “H.”, the bus stops often have a small shelter and electronic sign updating arrivals, as well as posted regular schedules and routes. Tickets can be purchased from machines at S- or U-Bahns or directly from bus drivers. If you have a ticket that is not time-stamped, stamp it with the machine near the entrance of the bus.

Best Places To Stay In Frankfurt

As Germany’s financial capital, looking for Frankfurt travel tips may have its fair share of high-rise monoliths, but the rest of the cityscape is diverse. To help you choose where to stay in Frankfurt, here’s our guide to three of the city’s major neighbourhoods that will give you a great Frankfurt experience. 

Sachsenhausen

Sachsenhausen is the city’s most populated district, known for its bohemian vibe and dedication to the state beverage Apfelwein, a light and tart drink of fermented apples. In the old town area of Sachsenhausen you’ll find historic half-timbered houses, where visitors and locals go

Frankfurt City

to discover Frankfurt’s lively bar scene. The narrow pedestrian streets overflow with cosy pubs. On the slightly quieter Schweizer Strasse, there’s a mix of alternative boutiques and excellent views of the Frankfurt skyline. Stroll down the tree-lined Museumsufer (museum embankment) on the south side of the Main river to find nine world-class museums, including the Städel, whose collection spans 700 years of European art.

Recommended Hotel: Libertine Lindenberg

Bahnhofsviertel

The neighbourhood boasts the city’s best nightlife and some stellar international restaurants. The buzziest strip is the Kaiserstrasse, a boulevard lined by some of the city’s last remaining 18th-century buildings, and the whole area benefits from being located right next to the main train station. The best bars and clubs in the Bahnhofsviertel are steeped in underground mystique, so you’ll need to do some investigating to get yourself into one of the private parties that take place on select evenings at Pik Dame. Cabaret, dance and magic acts perform against sultry red décor and there are merry-go-round horses at the bar. Join the Facebook group to find out which nights these parties are on.

Recommended Hotel: 25hours Hotel Frankfurt

Bornheim

2.9 kilometres of scenic cobblestone streets and tiny alleyways, on Bergstrasse is where Frankfurters go to shop. In the summer many of the restaurants and cafés set up seating in the street – ideal for a relaxed afternoon. One of the more distinctive buildings on Bergstrasse is the Altes Bornheimer Rathaus, a historic town hall. This intricately carved, half-timbered building, with its Baroque front door and shutters, was built in 1770 and was once home to the mayor of Bornheim, a wealthy farmer. Bethmannpark, whose Chinese garden was designed according to feng shui principles, is an unexpected delight. It has pagodas, footbridges and a dragon keeping a watchful eye over the city. Visit the Frankfurt Zoological Garden, founded in 1858. It is one of the world’s oldest zoos. Its 4,500 animals include tigers, penguins and snakes.

Recommended Hotel: Hotel und Restaurant Schmärrnche 

What To Eat In Frankfurt

Looking into Frankfurt travel tips and food culture, there are a ton of Hessian culinary specialities worth trying when you’re travelling across Germany, but the state capital has a few aces up its sleeves on top of that. Let’s have a look at what Frankfurt has to offer regarding food and drinks and here’s a list of foods you just have to try when you’re in town.

Frankfurter Würstchen

Wurst und Fleisch

Perhaps not so surprising, a German sausage makes the top of the list of specialties. A Frankfurter as the locals call it is a pork sausage that is comparatively long and cooked in boiling water for a few minutes before served with a slice of white bread and mustard and horseradish.

Handkäs mit Musik

If you’re a cheese-lover who visits Frankfurt, you are in for a treat. Handkäs mit Musik (hand cheese with music) refers to it being formed by hand, while music is metaphorical speak for the pungent flavour. The low-fat sour milk cheese speciality is served in most gastro pubs and restaurants and is marinated in oil and vinegar, salt, pepper, onions and, most importantly, caraway.

Grüne Soße

Grüne Soße (green sauce) merely describes a blend of seven chopped herbs and either mayonnaise, yoghurt, sour cream or quark cheese. The cold sauce is then poured over boiled eggs and potatoes or sometimes a brisket of beef. But given the locals’ enthusiasm, you should give it a try. You’ll encounter the green condiment wherever you go. 

Frankfurter Rippchen

One of the all-time favourite meals is the Frankfurter Rippchen, a cured and slow-cooked pork cutlet. They’re most commonly served hot

Frankfurter Kranz

with classic Sauerkraut, potato mash and mustard. Cold leftovers are fantastic with just bread buns and potato salad.

Frankfurter Kranz

Frankfurter Kranz refers to the ring shape of this popular cake. This simple sponge cake is cut horizontally into three layers; the two bottom layers are then spread with buttercream icing and strawberry or cherry jam, stacked on one another and then coated with even more buttercream. The entire mount of deliciousness is then sprinkled with krokant, caramelised brittle nuts. Delicious!

Top 7 Experiences You MUST Have In Frankfurt

1. The Museumsufer (Museum Embankment) is a recent idea, that was developed in the 80s and 90s. Some museums moved into patrician houses while others had eye-catching venues built for them by eminent architects like O.M. Ungers and Richard Meier.

Museumsufer

On the last weekend of August the Museumsuferfest happens on the embankment, bringing later opening hours, multi-passes, outdoor music and dance performances, and a two-day dragon boat regatta on the Main. Grouped together on both sides of the River Main is a cluster of 12 museums in an area known as the Museumsufer. Most are on the left bank (south side). There are museums for film, art, architecture, communication and ethnography.

2. The Städel Museum is one of Germany’s top cultural attractions, and was named German Museum of the Year following an extension for contemporary art in 2012. The museum was founded in 1815 when the banker Johann Friedrich Städel donated an invaluable collection of old masters to the city. The current building was designed in a palatial Gründerzeit style in 1878 and within there’s a marvellous array of paintings from the 1300s to the present. Classics by Botticelli, Rembrandt, Hieronymus Bosch, Vermeer and van Eyck.
3. The 200-metre Main Tower opened in the year 2000 and is the fourth-tallest building in the city, which also makes it the fourth-tallest in Germany. Being on the east side of the Bankenviertel there’s a clear view from the top over the Altstadt and the Main. The tower was designed by Schweger und Meyer, and in the foyer are two pieces of modern art: A video installation by Bill Viola and a mosaic on the wall by Stephan Huber. On Fridays and Saturdays the observation deck is open to 23:00 in summer, so you come up in the evening to see Frankfurt in lights from the sky.
4. Visit the Goethe House and Museum remembering the German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who was born at the fine
   

   Goethe House

   corbelled house on 23 Großer Hirschgraben in 1749. Goethe lived here until the age of 16 and returned for long spells in between stints studying in Leipzig and Strasbourg. In that time he wrote The Sorrows of Young Werther, and after being damaged in the war the house has been restored to how it would have looked when Goethe lived here. The interior is furnished with contemporary artefacts like an astronomical clock that he admired and belonged to a family friend. Attached to the house is a museum of Romantic art, appropriate for the youthful Goethe’s “Sturm und Drang” period.

5. Frankfurt Cathedral was originally built in the 1300s and 1400s in the Gothic style, and has been faithfully rebuilt twice: Once after a fire in 1867 and then in the 1950s after the war.

This former collegiate church was awarded the title of “cathedral” in 1562 when it started hosting the coronation ceremonies for the Holy Roman Kings. Ten kings were crowned at this very place from 1562 to 1792, and even before then the imperial elections were held in the church from 1356.

Römerberg

6. Römerberg is the quaintest square in the city and is walled by photogenic medieval houses, a church and historic administrative buildings. The one that will grab your attention is the Römer, the middle of a group of three gabled buildings housing Frankfurt’s city hall since 1405. The neighbouring “Goldener Schwan” building was also annexed, as the council decided to move into houses that were already standing instead of constructing one from scratch. In front is the Renaissance Fountain of Justice, dating to 1543, and on the opposite side of the square stands the 15th-century Old St Nicholas Church. A beautiful place to enjoy Frankfurt’s rich history.
7. Palmengarten, Frankfurt’s botanical garden opened in 1871 and sweeps across 22 hectares, where plant species from all parts of the globe are displayed in greenhouses or the open-air.

The specimens are organised according to their region: One glass pavilion contains a sub-Arctic landscape, while there’s a tropicarium for rainforest and two separate structures for the desert environment. Some are from the 1980s while others even go back to the 19th century. There are exhibitions and performances in the historic Festsaal, while Jazz im Palmengarten is the world’s oldest open-air jazz festival, dating back to 1959.

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